Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Ladipo Market: Arrested Bakassi Boys To Face Trial

Weapons found in their possession

Twelve
suspected members of the Bakassi Boys arrested on Monday at Ladipo
Market, Mushin in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria will soon be charged to
court.

The suspected Bakassi Boys, who were allegedly terrorising
traders at the Ladipo Market, were arrested by officials of the Lagos
State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit
shortly after the closure of the market due to filth and degradation of
the environment on Monday.

The items recovered from the suspects include over 10 cutlasses, knives, charms and rings, among others.

Taskforce
Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, Chief Superintendent of Police, said the
suspects would be charged to court soon for the law to take its due
course.

“They initially dared us by showing us their charms and we
are also aware that they have weapons. We are going to charge them to
court,” he said.

Chairman of Mushin Local Government, Olatunde
Adepintan had told the taskforce that criminals and suspected members of
Bakassi Boys were living inside the market.

Sulaiman said the
suspects, allegedly armed with weapons, dared the police to enter the
market before they were arrested inside the Aguiyi Ironsi Spare Parts
Market, a section of the market.

P.M.NEWS learnt that the
taskforce officials forced the massive gate to the market open as it was
shut from inside by the suspected hoodlums.

The police, however, called for reinforcement as they got wind that the suspects were armed with guns and dangerous weapons.

As
the police gained entrance into the market, one of the hoodlums brought
out a knife and challenged them. But when the hoodlums realised that
they were outnumbered by the police, they attempted to escape, but 12 of
the 18 suspects were arrested.

One of the suspects, Eze, denied that they were members of Bakassi Boys.

He said that they were security men hired by Jonathan Okorie.

He said the cutlasses and the charms recovered from them were used for security purposes.

“We
were 18 but some of us have fled. I am not a criminal. I am here to
secure this market. Since I came here, I have been sleeping in this
market,” he said.

Meanwhile traders of Ladipo Market are complaining about the closure of the market.

The
traders who were dispersed by the taskforce officials with several
canisters of teargas said they were caught unawares as they never
expected the market to be shut without notice.

A trader, who
craved anonymity, told P.M.NEWS: “We don’t like the closure. This will
cause suffering. We came in this morning (yesterday) and met our market
shut and the police stopped us from entering. No notice was given to us
and what are we going to do now?”

Another trader simply identified
as Nduibuisi, appealed to government to re-open the market as the
traders would lose lots of money.

Taskforce Chairman, Sulaiman
said the state government had lots of issues with the market, ranging
from hooliganism, lack of toilet facilities, degradation of the
environment with diesel and fuel as well as traders in the market
turning themselves in to another government.

“We came here two
weeks ago, but the officials of the market did not show up. There was
street trading and there are lots of shanties here. We will make sure
that this time around, proper sanitation is done by the traders before
this market will be re-opened and they have to submit to the chairman of
Mushin Local Government,” he stated.